Gachagua slams Ruto for scrapping NHIF
By Kiprono Keileb, August 11, 2025Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has launched an attack on President William Ruto’s decision to scrap the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), accusing the government of replacing a working system with an expensive but failing alternative.
Speaking to Kenyans in Southern California at Anaheim, USA, on Monday, August 11, 2025, Gachagua said that while the NHIF faced challenges, it remained functional and only required minor reforms to serve Kenyans more effectively.
“NHIF was struggling, but it was working. At least you could go to a mission hospital and get treated, and NHIF in one way or another would sort you out to a certain extent, and you would pay a small percentage. What we needed to do was improve on NHIF, and all we needed was 800M Ksh to reform the system and make it work,” he said.
Gachagua criticised President Ruto’s decision to replace NHIF with the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) at a cost of Ksh104B, a move he says has not delivered results.
“Instead, the President threw it out, brought another system called SHA and SHIF for Ksh104B KSh to replace NHIF, and it is not working and that money has been stolen. As we speak, the hospitals have said civil servants must pay in advance because SHA doesn’t help,” Gachagua told the crowd.
The former Deputy President also expressed admiration for the health system in the United States, noting that many Kenyans in the diaspora are actively contributing to it.
“I am amazed by the health system here in the US, and you people in diaspora, when we form a new administration, you will be of great help to work with us in putting in place a working health system, a replica of NHIF, you people know it. You are the people driving the healthcare system here in the US. Most Kenyans are in the health sector here,” he said.
His remarks come at a time when the SHA has faced widespread criticism from health workers and citizens over delays in service delivery and payment processing. Civil servants, in particular, have voiced concern over hospitals demanding upfront payments for treatment, warning that the new system is leaving them exposed during medical emergencies.
Gachagua’s comments in the US add fuel to an already heated national debate over Kenya’s healthcare reforms, with his direct criticism of the President highlighting growing cracks within the administration.